Toby Emmerich Named President & COO, New Line Cinema

Posted on: March/21/2008 2:48 AM

March 19, 2008

Toby Emmerich has been named President & COO, New Line Cinema and will lead its reorganization to become a stand-alone production entity as part of Warner Bros. Entertainment, it was announced today by Barry Meyer, Chairman & CEO, and Alan Horn, President & COO, Warner Bros.

New Line will continue to maintain its own development, creative and production teams. In addition, New Line’s marketing, publicity, distribution, business and legal affairs and physical production will report to Emmerich, but will closely coordinate with their Warner Bros. counterparts.

Emmerich will report directly to Horn. He will also work closely with Jeff Robinov, President, Warner Bros. Pictures Group, as New Line will utilize WBPG’s existing infrastructure to reduce costs and take advantage of Warner Bros.’ industry-leading scale.

“There isn’t a better person than Toby to help us keep New Line vibrant, relevant and a key asset for Warner Bros.,” said Meyer. “We are thrilled that he and New Line are now part of our family.”
“Toby has played a major part in New Line’s success over the last decade and helped define the company’s taste and style in movies,” said Horn. “Quite simply, he’s a great film executive. He’s highly respected, and he has solid relationships across the industry. Toby and New Line are both great additions to our Studio.”

“I’m very excited to lead the next chapter in New Line’s history and am looking forward to the new challenges that lie ahead,” said Emmerich. “This change is bittersweet, as so much of the company I’ve worked at for the past 16 years is being reconceived, but I’m committed to maintaining New Line’s corporate DNA as a creative, aggressive entity. I plan to continue New Line’s long and productive history as a company that can create hits in new niches–whether it’s expanding the horror genre with films like The Texas Chainsaw Massacre and Freddy vs. Jason, or turning an R-rated comedy like Wedding Crashers into a blockbuster. I want to thank Bob (Shaye) and Michael (Lynne) for the opportunities and support they generously provided through the years, and I’d also like to thank Barry, Alan and Jeff for their collaboration and already making me feel welcome.”

“Toby has a great track record, terrific instincts and is one of those people who really gets the film business,” said Robinov. “He’s a great new voice for our film group, and New Line’s slate is a perfect complement to our existing lineup.”

New Line’s upcoming films include Harold & Kumar Escape from Guantanamo Bay (being released April 25), Sex and the City (May 30), Journey to the Center of the Earth 3D (July 11) and Four Christmases (November 26).

New Line is widely credited with creating the genre of the R-rated comedy, based on the success of Wedding Crashers in 2005. The company is also one of the few studios that still works in the horror genre and is widely known for the iconic Nightmare on Elm Street franchise. (It was recently announced that Michael Bay will produce a re-imagining of this classic.) Under Emmerich’s leadership, New Line released the widely successful Freddy vs. Jason, has begun production on Final Destination 4 in digital 3D and has reunited The Texas Chainsaw Massacre team to recreate the original Friday the 13th.

Emmerich most recently served as President of Production for New Line Cinema. He was named to that post in January 2001 and oversaw production during the most successful period in the company’s history, which included the release of such hits as the Academy Award-winning blockbuster The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King, Wedding Crashers (2005’s highest-grossing comedy), Monster-in-Law, The Texas Chainsaw Massacre, Elf, The Notebook, Hairspray and About Schmidt, which starred Jack Nicholson in a Golden Globe-winning performance.

Emmerich joined the company in 1992 as a dual development and music executive. In his position as President of Music, he oversaw the development of Platinum and Gold-selling soundtracks such as Elf, Austin Powers: The Spy Who Shagged Me, Boogie Nights, Love & Basketball, The Mask, Don Juan DeMarco, Friday, Dumb and Dumber, Now and Then, Mortal Kombat, I Am Sam and Seven, among others.

He attended the Calhoun School and Wesleyan University, from which he graduated Phi Beta Kappa in 1985, with honors in English and concentrations in classics and film.